U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,355 discloses an improved adjustable socket having jaws that are mounted for radial movement with respect to a rotational axis of the socket so as to permit gripping and driving of nuts and bolt heads of different sizes. A driver or jaw support member of this socket mounts the jaws for the radial movement and is received within a sleeve that engages the jaws to prevent outward radial movement of the jaws. Axial movement of the sleeve with respect to the jaw support member adjusts the jaws inwardly and outwardly in cooperation with a spring. A mounting end of the spring is secured to the jaw support member and legs of the spring respectively engage the jaws to provide outward biasing thereof into engagement with the sleeve. In one embodiment, a helical locking surface on the jaw support member is engaged by a helical locking surface on a rotatable adjuster to fix the rotational position therebetween in a manner that axially locates the sleeve to lock the jaws in any adjusted position. In another embodiment, a helical locking surface on the jaw support member and a helical locking surface on the sleeve are engaged with each other to axially position the sleeve and thereby axially fix the jaws in any adjusted position.
Other adjustable sockets and the like are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos.: 810,288; 1,288,154; 1,498,040; 1,554,963; 2,580,247; 2,582,444; 2,669,896; 2,701,489; 2,850,931; 2,884,826; and 3,724,299.